Posts belonging to Category Teams

The Golden Sombrero presents MLB Look-alikes: Frank McCourt and James Cameron

Thanks to our friend Cool Breeze for pointing this one out! Dead on.

One of these guys has more money than the other…

Bottom 1: Adam Dunn called out on strikes against Livan Hernandez

Bottom 3: Dunn struck out swinging against Hernandez

Bottom 5: Dunn struck out swinging against Hernandez

Bottom 8: Dunn struck out swinging against Sean Burnett

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Dunn’s golden sombrero last Sunday was his third of the season, and accurately portrays his god-awful 2011 campaign.  Headed into Thursday’s game, Dunn’s slash line was .173/.308/.316.  In 279 plate appearances, he has fanned an MLB leading 100 times.  The last time we reported Dunn’s sombrero, he was hitless against left-handers.  Currently he’s 1-for-53 with 25 strikeouts.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 51

Picture via @Stuwass55, Twitter.

As the above photo indicates, Tigers take their baseball civics seriously.

But it’s easy to see why they might be miffed if Alex Avila, who trails the Yankees’ Russell Martin by about 500,000 votes, doesn’t land a starting catcher role in the All-Star Game.

Avila leads all catchers with a .304 batting average – 74 points above Martin. He has also thrown out 38 percent of prospective base-stealers, which sits 9 percent above Martin’s league average rate. Additionally, Avila touts a league best RBI total of 45, and his home run total of 10 is third in the league and bested only by those hitting at least 60 points below him.

Yes, as a huge Tiger fan (At age 7, I names my trio of pet snails Sparky, Mickey and Cecil), I’m hardly objective here. But I’m always frustrated when All-Star voting is driven by city size rather than performance.

Is there anyone out there who actually votes on merit? I try to. But I must admit that I tend not to vote for players, who, for mostly silly reasons, I’ve decided are jerk wads.

Bottom 2: Mike Stanton struck out swinging against Felix Hernandez

Bottom 4: Stanton struck out swinging against Hernandez

Bottom 6: Stanton struck out swinging against Hernandez

Bottom 9: Stanton struck out swinging against Brandon League

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: This is just what tends to happen when you swing as hard as Mike Stanton and have to face Felix Hernandez.

Total 2011 Sombrero: 50 (wow)

Top 3: James Shields struck out swinging against Wandy Rodriguez

Top 5: Shields struck out swinging against Wandy Rodriguez

Top 7: Shields struck out swinging against Fernando Rodriguez

Top 9: Shields called out on strikes against Aneury Rodriguez

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Shields’ sombrero was the second by a pitcher this season, and both were due to the face they fired a complete game.  For Shields it was his third-consecutive CG, as he allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out nine on Friday against Houston.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 49